Good RV Repairs & The 80/100/100 Rule – Elite Repair & Remodel, Eugene, OR
An old-time RVer once told me that if 80% of the things on the coach are working, he is 100% happy 100% of the time (I call it the 80/100/100 rule & it’s a complete oddity of RVing). Going into 3 years on the road I find that’s a pretty good approximation. Taking what is basically a normal home and rattling it around in all kinds of weather on a constant basis is bound to “shake” things up, so whether you like it or not you are going to have strange, lonely screws that seemingly pop out of nowhere, occasional leaks with no obvious source, equipment that breaks for no reason and mysterious electrical problems that simply can’t be explained. It’s just the reality of life on the road.
But the most pressing issue of 80/100/100 is not the breaks but getting someone reliable to fix them. We struggled with this our second year out when we had massive problems with our big drivers-side slide, and this despite using rvservicereviews.com as a resource. We used a well-rated shop in Colorado where we spent 2 full days (only to be sent away ‘coz they couldn’t fix it), and waited almost 3 weeks in Eugene to get into the Monaco factory (never did get in). Finally, with the clouds parting and angels singing we were introduced to Marty ((541)-517-1716), Mark((541)-515-2740) and Eric ((541)-255-6231) at Elite RV Repair & Remodel (a mobile outfit of highly experienced guys who all worked at the Monaco factory for years). You may think I’m exaggerating, but after several months living with a non-functioning & leaking slide it was aaaalmost a religious experience. In a few hours these guys came out to the rig and completely fixed what the other shops couldn’t handle. We were hooked and decided we would use them for every single RV repair we could in the future.
This year was no exception. We came back to Eugene with a few minor but annoying issues which we hadn’t been able to fix ourselves -> a missing cable on our bedroom slide (which was causing a small leak), a broken door awning motor, a mysterious alternator problem and a very tricky broken kitchen island pull-out catch. Our very first call was to Elite who came out right away to assess the repairs. This year we had the added complication of wanting to use our new Extended Warranty (I’ll write another post about Warranties soon -> I’ve been “testing” this one and there’s a whole lot to talk about here). Not only did Marty jump through all the hoops required by the warranty (and believe me there are always hoops), including attending an inspector who had to came out to assess the damage, but the crew got it all fixed and completed in the time requirements we had. Perfect!
Elite recently opened a shop location (in Harrisburg, just north of Eugene) so they have both mobile and fixed service now. They do serious remodelling too. We had a RV buddy who did a massive make-over of their Monaco w/ these guys incl. new floors, custom computer desk, new valences, updated kitchen…you name it, and they were very happy with the results. Depending on budget we may well come back later in the summer for a bit of remodelling ourselves.
In the meantime, we’re finally off to the coast and once again 80/100/100 happy. If you’re in Eugene and need some work done I highly recommend these guys. And no I don’t get paid for this….but now that you mention it maybe I should bargain some remodel work for it…hmmmm?
I just looked at your perfect RV park outside of Ashland. Gorgeous might be an understatement. There are a couple county parks if you get close to Portland that might be of interest. One is the Clackamette on the Willamette River. We’ve not stayed there but often thought we might. The location is great.
Another one of our favorites is the County Line Park on Highway 4 between Longview and Long Beach, WA. It’s on the Columbia River and $10 a night. That park is one of our favorites as you can sit and watch all the ships go by as they travel from the Pacific into ports of Longview and Portland.
Cheers for the tips! The last time we stayed in Portland we were just there for the airport so we stayed at a convenient, but not particularly nature-happy RV park. Hoping we get the chance to go back and stay in a more relaxed location, So these links will come in handy!
Nina
If you are ever in the Phoenix , Arizona area and need repairs from a trustworthy and reliable mobile repair shop, then KISS RV is the one, with a combined 90 years expierence from master mechinacs in the RV field. I have used them twice and they are great to work with. Ted’s RV in Phoenix is also one of the best. You will not be disapointed.
Thanks Garry!! Always appreciate good tips for RV repair folks. We’re often around Phoenix during winter so this may well come in handy for us.
Nina
Thanks for the good tip. Always happy to have a reliable repair place on my list.
I laughed at Polly retrieving golf balls. Do you have to tie her up when you camp near a golf course, though, now that you’ve taught her to fetch them?
You know it’s funny…Polly was never a natural “retriever”. In fact when we first started teaching her she was completely disinterested. She now finds it fun, but only when we (“the pack”) are involved. So, she’ll happily go get the ball when Paul is playing, but not if someone else is. Pretty nifty!
Nina
Oh boy, we have a few things in common here. Slide issues coupled with the leveling issue. That took 3 weeks to be resolved and we still believed the fix was not properly done. Our jacks still do not release air when we bring it down. We also have some unexplained leaks after a strong rain…you know the rain. We are still keeping an eye on it. About renovation, we stopped at Dave and LJ’s in Woodland, Oregon after we met an RV couple who also had a massive renovation like your RV friend. Wonder if we are referring to the same couple. We only wanted a little office, so we placed the order and will come back after our Alaska trip. After this trip we will certainly have our Betsy check up at Elite repair.
I think that you should get paid for these advertisements. We found your referrals (Hendersons Line up, that mattress you bought at Costco and now Elite )very handy and useful not mentioning your satisfaction. Im telling you we read, listened and act on your free advertisement !
Wow…I definitely commiserate. Nothing more annoying than slide or leveling issues that can’t be properly fixed. Do hope the Elite guys can help you out.
Oh and I’m very happy the tips are useful! I have to admit I get alot of my best tips from other RVers & bloggers. It’s a wonderful community of folks.
Nina
Thanks for the recommendation. Yes indeed, it can be very difficult to find “good” repair folks. We still have an issue with a slide. If we can’t get it resolved locally, perhaps we’ll NEED to make a trip to Oregon, not that we need the excuse. 🙂
LOL…I know what you mean. We actually made the ~1000-mile trip to OR last year specifically to fix our slide (we just couldn’t seem to get it fixed elsewhere). We ended up staying almost 3 months here and travelling the N.Coast so we definitely enjoyed it too!
Nina
If you come through Illinois, avoid ALL repair shops, haven’t found one yet that is capable of repairing things the first time. I may have to make a multi state trip to get our things taken care of or learn even more about repair and remodeling.
I’m glad you guys were able to get it finally fixed right!
Erik
Good to know…it’s one of the other reasons I like Eugene so much. Just about every RV facility is right here -> Cummins service, repair shops (there are many and they’re all really well-rated), remodel shops, custom builders, RV wash…we’ve decided to make it our yearly stop for anything RV-related.
Nina
Will have to file away their info… we have a Country Coach, no slides,( no issues there thankfully) lol , and use the guys at Premier Rv in Junction City, Or when we are in the area… they also send a truck to Palms Springs area during the winter months….. but you can never have enough info on honest repair shops…( the trick would be to teach Polly to swing the club… and Paul to retrieve the balls)….lol
I like your training plan. Now if only I could teach the cats to bring me a glass of wine while Paul and Polly are playing golf, then the picture would be complete 🙂
Nina
Out of curiosity do they also work on 5th wheels or just MH?
I think so, but I’m not sure. I’d call and ask. These guys are very upfront about what they can and cannot do. Good guys to work with.
Nina
Hope things will work much better now! Enjoy some sunshine on the coast…there should be some…at least by July (I hope!)
We’ve been spoilt by 2 whole days of sunshine already…whoo hoooo!
Nina
Isn’t it wonderful to find a reliable, capable business to take care of your home. So glad you found this place and shared it with all of us. We all need to help each other out with the best places to take our home for repairs.
If Paul would just apply himself a bit more, I know Polly would be able to retrieve those balls. It is never the dogs fault…hehe
Yup it really is great to find good service, which is one of the reasons I like to spread the news when I do.
And yes, it’s definitely Paul’s fault 🙂
Nina
Two ‘virgins’ about to embark on our maiden voyage; we pick up our first coach this weekend. Although we’ve been transit drivers for a zillion years, the leap into ownership has been daunting and exciting, in equal measure. We found your blog in our research phase, and I must tell you, you’re my hero! The info we’ve gleaned just visiting your site has been invaluable (and we haven’t even picked up our rig yet!)
I’ve wanted to relocate to Eugene OR since we visited on the college search with our youngest. [She graduates this weekend in San Diego.] Thanks for one more plug regarding Eugene in MY favor!
We hope to cross paths with you both on our journeys—we have such similar interests. Your info is shaping our destinations—many THANKS!
Well a HUGE congrats on your news coach! So happy my blog could play a small part in your RV journey.
We really do love Eugene. Super little town with a great mix of everything you need. Totally understand your wanting to chose this as a base.
Nina
So glad to hear you got your issues resolved. Loved the pic of Polly relaxing!
Yeah, “the beast” is happy again!
Nina
Thanks for the recommendation. I’ll have to put it in my Pinterest file for future reference. Oregon is a bit far away right now though. We have an occasional slide leak when we get blowing rains…Frustrating.
Slide leaks are the most frustrating things especially since water can travel long distances in an RV! If you can find a shop that offers leak testing (this usually involves sealing the RV and bubble testing under pressure or some similar method -> I know Lazydays offers Sealtech testing in FL for example) then that can help to locate mystery leaks. We haven’t had to do this yet, but would if we had a leak that persisted.
Nina
These men at Elite RV are the most amazing men. We wish they would follow us around as we try to destroy our motorhome on our travels. They are wonderful
We heard about Elite RV Repair and Remodel from a mechanic. Sometimes things just go your way and the sun shines down to brighten your path and show you the way. That bright path led us to Eric, Marty and Mark at Elite. We drove our motorhome up from the Palm Springs area and left it there with the guys at Elite to do a renovation on it. We replaced the floor tile and the backsplash tile. We replaced the carpet and put in new window coverings, a new tv for the outside, a new refrigerator and countless other upgrades and repairs. Because of the geographical constraints we made alot of decisions with the smartphone and wonderful recommendations from Elite RV. Eric spent countless hours with us on the phone, sending us updates and pictures. Finally the day came to fly up and view the results of ALL of our labor. We were blown away with the quality of the workmanship and the obvious care and attention to detail that they had done. The results were outstanding! They are honest, reliable and so very qualified. They also tried to make us feel so at home during our stay. They are all great guys with a huge amount of experience. We do not ever plan to let anyone else work on our coach unless we are stranded with no alternative. We wil probably now make a yearly trip to Eugene not only to have Elite RV Repair and Remodel work on our coach but to visit our friends, Erik, Marty and Mark.
Excellent! So very happy you had a good experience with these guys. Sounds like your rig got quite the upgrade!
Nina
Some interesting weather, AKA downpours and gusty winds above 70 mph, pointed out that our travel trailer needed some attention. Actually it was pretty hard to miss the signs, wet pillows, wet dog food bag, wet boots, wet me, wet her, etc. We had roof repairs done at Elite. These guys rock! Eric was great on the phone and got us in within a few hours. He took the time to listen to the problems, he asked questions about leaks as he climbed all over the rig looking and listening to my woes. 15 minutes later we were headed down the road for a burrito and beers while Eric went to work. We got back a couple of hours later and we were set to go. That would have been enough but he went further and explained materials and techniques to use on other needed maintenance when we got back home. I cannot thank you enough for posting information about this shop. You may have saved our trip.
Jim and Shelley
I am SO HAPPY to hear this. I really appreciate the Elite guys (they saved our slide issue, for sure!), so I’m always happy to hear others have the same excellent experience. These guys rock!
Nina
Nina, Thank you for recommending Elite Renovations and Repairs for repairs on RV’s. We are currently having repairs done on our Phaeton and the guys here are wonderful. No more trips to Red Bay for us. Eric and the guys say hello here at Elite. Next stop another one of your recommendations Superior Tire in Eugene, OR replacing all six tires.
So glad the guys are taking good care of you. They’re an awesome team.
Nina